New Media Strategies
Snyder launched New Media Strategies in November 1999 with $150,000 from his own savings, credit cards, and the investments of friends and family, initially running the company from his Capitol Hill apartment. Based on his market research experience, Snyder chose to treat the Internet as "the world's largest focus group," creating the first Internet firm to offer data mining and real-time communications consultation to clients. The company found its earliest success with Hollywood studios, and soon counted The Walt Disney Company, Coca-Cola, Burger King, AT&T, NBC and Ford among its clients. In 2006 Snyder was named a Fortune Small Business Best Boss. Drawing upon his background in political consulting, Snyder expanded the company by creating a public affairs division, which has included both political and news media clients such as the Fred Thompson presidential campaign and C-SPAN. The Washington Post has referred to Snyder as a "pioneer in consumer communication", on account of his early entrance into the business of online market research and communications.
In January 2007, Snyder sold his interest in New Media Strategies to Meredith Corporation, continuing his role as CEO through December 2011. At the time of the acquisition Snyder provisioned for a portion of the proceeds to be set aside in an employee stock pool, which appreciated to $2.5 million and in 2010 was paid out to employees who had remained at the company for three years. The New York Post described Snyder's profit-sharing arrangement as atypical in the advertising industry, and in an interview with Advertising Age he was quoted as saying: "this is how it usually goes: A company gets sold, the owners do well, and all the employees get screwed. I wanted to do something really different." In November 2010, he became president of emerging markets group at Meredith, while remaining as CEO of New Media Strategies. In December 2011, Snyder stepped down from the role of CEO of NMS. As of 2012, he remains involved as founder and senior advisor for NMS, and senior advisor for Meredith Corporation. As a result of his work with NMS, Snyder was named one of "Washington's Tech Titans" by Washingtonian magazine in 2009 and 2011.
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